my water heater

[Zymologist]

So we're moved into the new house, and it's great. I've never had so much space. I'm loving the house.

...but the water heater is 30 years old--1986 on the tank. It's still working great, and the home inspector tested it pretty hard when he did the home inspection, but I get the feeling that this thing just can't last much longer. Am I right? Would you recommend replacing it preemptively, or would you wait until it fails? As far as I can tell (knowing nothing about plumbing), with a water heater that old it's probably a better idea to just replace it. It's not if, it's when, and it's bound to be a lot more inconvenient and probably expensive to replace when it fails than before. Right?

[One Bad Pig]

So we're moved into the new house, and it's great. I've never had so much space. I'm loving the house.

...but the water heater is 30 years old--1986 on the tank. It's still working great, and the home inspector tested it pretty hard when he did the home inspection, but I get the feeling that this thing just can't last much longer. Am I right? Would you recommend replacing it preemptively, or would you wait until it fails? As far as I can tell (knowing nothing about plumbing), with a water heater that old it's probably a better idea to just replace it. It's not if, it's when, and it's bound to be a lot more inconvenient and probably expensive to replace when it fails than before. Right?

A quick search turns up average lifespans of 8-12 years (recent) to 17 years (from 2001), with older units having longer lifespans. However, see also here.

I'll be checking mine soon (I'm at 17 years).

[Zymologist]

A quick search turns up average lifespans of 8-12 years (recent) to 17 years (from 2001), with older units having longer lifespans. However, see also here.

I'll be checking mine soon (I'm at 17 years).

Yeah, from what I can tell 30 years is positively ancient. Which is really cool, until it fails and leaks everywhere.

[mossrose]

It's a lot more inconvenient to wait, yes, but the cost wouldn't likely be much more. Unless it bursts, which I've never heard of......

If you trust the inspector and if he thinks it is ok for now, then I would wait. If you feel strongly about it, and have the money for a new one, then go for it.

We've replaced ours once in 38 years, and the only inconvenience was no hot water for a couple of days. And it never leaked, just quit heating water.

[Catholicity]

It's a lot more inconvenient to wait, yes, but the cost wouldn't likely be much more. Unless it bursts, which I've never heard of......

If you trust the inspector and if he thinks it is ok for now, then I would wait. If you feel strongly about it, and have the money for a new one, then go for it.

We've replaced ours once in 38 years, and the only inconvenience was no hot water for a couple of days. And it never leaked, just quit heating water.

you've never heard of a water heater bursting????? Ahem. I'd get it replaced at the end of its life....

[Carrikature]

Did the inspector happen to mention about build-up inside the water heater?

It's possible for it to burst, but that might not be a big issue if it has a pan for that or depending on its location in the house. I've heard horror stories of water heaters in attics bursting and doing all sorts of damage, but a water heater in an unfinished basement won't be such a big deal.

If you have the money for it, make a plan to get it replaced sooner rather than later. It's definitely a 'when not if' scenario, and you don't want to be surprised with no hot water for a few days.

[Zymologist]

Inspector didn't mention that, no.

It's in an unfinished basement, so I'm not too worried about the damage from bursting, but I'd still rather avoid that (obviously).

[Littlejoe]

The two most common problems of a Water Heater going out are :

1. Stops heating ...(If it's Electric.) (Gas Heaters not heating are related to the thermostat/gas regulator or Thermocouple)

and

2. They develop a leak.

They are relatively easy to replace. I recommend if they are soldered in piping changing to flexible copper hose with a shut off valve. This allows you to shut off the water to just the water heater while you change it.

[DesertBerean]

Get that thing replaced. I don't know if good prices can be had at this time of year, but better safe than sorry. And, since you're in a very cold climate, would it be good for you to consider a water recirculator as well? I've looked at some models, but we really don't deal with frozen pipes much here.

Here's a quick link I found on those things. Obviously you'll want the passive one, if you're interested.

http://greenhomeguide.com/askapro/qu...-you-recommend

[Raphael]

You've got a big family haven't you?

you may want to consider (when you get to replacing it) getting something like this: http://www.rheem.com/products/water_...aign=vanityURL

(although a builder mate told my brother not to get one because he says the teenagers have longer showers when they know the hot water isn't going to run out)

[Zymologist]

You've got a big family haven't you?

you may want to consider (when you get to replacing it) getting something like this: http://www.rheem.com/products/water_...aign=vanityURL

(although a builder mate told my brother not to get one because he says the teenagers have longer showers when they know the hot water isn't going to run out)

There's five of us in the house, so our demand shouldn't be too high. I do come from a rather large family, though.

I'll think about the tankless heater though.

[DesertBerean]

I had to replace my gas heater because the hard water we get here just ate away at it. Don't know if that's a problem in your area.

[Littlejoe]

I had to replace my gas heater because the hard water we get here just ate away at it. Don't know if that's a problem in your area.

If his water heater is from 1986 I'm going to go out on a limb and say...no...

ETA: If the previous owner was VERY on top of things and changed out the anode rod really frequently...it could theoretically last that long in hard water area as well.

[One Bad Pig]

If his water heater is from 1986 I'm going to go out on a limb and say...no...

ETA: If the previous owner was VERY on top of things and changed out the anode rod really frequently...it could theoretically last that long in hard water area as well.

I'm probably going to look at doing that soon myself - any particular trick to it?

[Littlejoe]

I'm probably going to look at doing that soon myself - any particular trick to it?

The down side to the Anode Rods are they are designed to be "eaten up". That means of course corrosion. If you wait too long the corrosion gets into the threads and it basically becomes nearly impossible to remove the old rod. So, first advice is to change it before it corrodes to far up. Most manufacturers recommend replacing it annually, but that really is determined by your initial water quality. In my town we have bad water so I replace mine about every 2 years...but I pull it annually to check it and to break loose the threads.

BTW, I'm not the plumber, my Dad is so these are things I've learned from him...

Before you get started, close the shutoff valve (hopefully you have one, if not, shut off the water to the house), turn on the hot water at a faucet to relieve pressure, and I usually turn off the electricity (or turn the gas to pilot mode) on the heater. It never hurts to go ahead and open the drain valve near the bottom of the tank and drain out several gallons of water. This helps flush out junk in the bottom and you can see if you have any rust already in the tank.

If you have one of those hammer drills or impact wrenches they work the best. I have a battery powered one that works great. You just need to get it loosened, don't use the drill to take it all the way out. Most water heaters have a glass lining and banging the anode rod on the sides will crack the lining causing you more problems that the rod replacement helps. So just hit it with the drill and get it loose, then unscrew it the rest of the way by hand.